Local improv troupe the Impromaniacs

Driving Force

Victoria International Improv Festival hits the gas

Improvisation may have hopped in the back seat since shows like Whose Line Is It Anyway? left the air, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still alive and kicking the back of the driver’s chair. In Victoria, at little clubs, pubs, halls and gatherings, improv has always had a happy home. And for the next three days, the Victoria International Improv Festival will clamber over the headrests and take the steering wheel, swerving past sense and normality and heading straight for the highway of hilarity. (Okay, that’s it for the car references.)

“It’s an opportunity to bring improv acts from as far away as we can get them,” says Morgan Cranny, a member of local improv troupe the Impromaniacs, which is hosting the festival. More importantly, he continues, is the opportunity to spread the love about improv. The best part about an improv performance is its uniqueness. There’s something special about that—the audience is truly a part of the show as the actors give a one-night-only show, every night. “Basically,” he explains, “it’s like creating a play from the ground-up, on the spot.” Challenging? You bet. “Some people are terrified of improvisation; there is that element that you really don’t know what’s going to happen.” But Cranny says he likes it. The people beside him on stage support him, and that teamwork aspect is part of what improv is all about.

Ad-libbing a whole show onstage has to be hard work, but it also must be incredibly rewarding. The Impromaniacs are a non-profit organization—not one of their performing members makes any money. They’ve been around for nearly 20 years, so it’s no surprise they have strong relationships with similar acts from all over the Pacific Northwest. But how do out-of-towners see the comedic potential of Victoria? “I think we’re pretty good,” laughs Cranny. But his only point of reference is that people who come to their shows leave with smiles. Alistair Cook, the Vancouver-based director of the festival, is in a better position to comment. “Victoria is hungry for comedy of all kinds,” he says. “Improv the most!”

The festival promises to be a good time—not only do you have the chance to see great acts like CRUMBS, an acclaimed Winnipeg duo, Scratch and Dad’s Garage, but every night, there’s something called Festival Ensemble, in which different players from different groups are thrown together (chosen in advance by Cook) and will perform unscripted. It’s like taking a roadtrip with strangers and no map. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

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Victoria International Improv Festival
Thursday-Saturday, October 2-4
Victoria Event Centre, 1415 Broad
Tickets $5-$46
250-380-1280/250-388-3658
viif.ca